Lothian and Borders police has launched a new initiative that allows the public to report suspected criminals, anonymously if they wish, "using facebook or via Bluetooth" or using the Crimestoppers website.
The Scottish force said that the 'Made from Crime' scheme is the first of its kind in the country.
The intelligence- …

Soon to support...

Dubious

Someone kicked the barrel and all the bottom feeding scum floated to the surface. I'm all in favour of hovering them up. I don't believe many of them were honest, law abiding types who got caught up in a moment of madness. As others have pointed out, most of us wouldn't steal armfuls of "designer" trainers just because there was a bit of mayhem going on.

But ... anonymous reporting via facebook? I hope they have a decent way of filtering out the prank and malicious reports without wasting too much of their own time and without bothering the entirely innocent victims of deliberate false reports.

Reporting via Bluetooth is a different matter. Anyone clever enough to figure out WTF that means deserves to be listened to.

You mean.....

Closer still they creep . . .

Ah well, not long now before we find that to remain on the unemployed register folks will be obliged to fill a 'nark quota'. No need for any actual crimes against the system to actual be committed, just a rumor or two.

SafetyTrustAndSecureInformation - STASI for short

Can I be the first ...

.. to report one Mr. F. Goodwin Esq. who, it appears, has got himself all blinged-up nicely thank you, after completely trashing the once very good name of a certain banking establishment, and, further to that, it would appear, that his blinged-upedness has been payed for by the proceeds of the good tax paying public who remain lumbered financially with the net results of his despotic greed and avarice the like of which should never, ever, have been allowed near any UK, Scottish, British banking establishment in the first place.

And coming soon to BBC3...

If my granny had been torching and generally fucking up decent folks

I like it ...

When next doors benfit scum, who never worked day in their life are wearing trainers tat cost more than all the clothes you are wearing and the TV is so big it can be used as a load bearing wall, shop em, might reduce my taxes!

Are looters the new paedos?

It looks like the british people can only hate so many groups at any one time (much to the annoyance of the Daily Wail, who's sales would be much higher if there was no limit). So given the amount of venom being pointed at looters, does this mean some other group has to be bumped off the pariah's list?

Leaving aside the people (they really shouldn't be blessed with the term "rioters", that implies there was a principle at stake) who started fires and caused damage: smashed up shops, broke windows, vandalised the streets, it'll be interesting to see whether the hate being directed towrards looters can be extended to shoplifters. After all the only real difference between the two is that one steals goods when the shops are open and the other when they're closed.

"rioters", implies there was a principle at stake

The whole mess didn't kick off because people felt they needed a new TV. You did know that, right? The fact that everyone else and their dog took advantage of the chaos for some good old fashioned pillaging and burning rather detracts from the problems that sparked all this in the first place.

Why?

I don't think "rioting" carries any suggestion of "principles" being at stake. I think "protestors" or "demonstrators" describes principled action on the streets. Rioting is just mob violence. I suppose in the past there was a tendency for the "authorities" to describe any legitimate protest that they didn't like as a riot, as in "Poll Tax riot"(or course this was a riot, but as in many cases it was the filth that rioted, not those protesting), which may have confused you.

I'd love to see what would happen if they jailed everyone caught shoplifting for 4 years. Fuck knows where they'd put them all, plus most shoplifters would fight rather harder than now if a jail term was on offer - so the shops would probably allow everyone to do it, in the same way that supermarkets never used to dispute signatures before chip & pin started.

Don't be an informer

Re: Innocent people's lives...

... "Yeah, there's this guy, calls himself "Inventor of the Marmite Laser" he's got this flash computer and a load of other gear, I reckon he's one of these crooks who's fucked up innocent people's lives...

"(The fact that I've got a grudge against the bloke and he's done nothing wrong except piss me off is a mere technical detail...)"

hmm

@Danny 14

Sorry dude. I meant to vote for your post but clicked on thumbs down by mistake.

Moderators: can my vote be amended to a thumbs up?

I really, really, really do like the idea (and am warming to it very swiftly) that (just like the rioters in court) the NotW is made an exemplar prosecution by the state as a warning to all other media moguls (BBC included) that proceeds of crime will never, ever pay.